In the headlines: Kuba, Corvo, Elliott, Zubov, and the CASH Line

Just some quick hits on Sens (and former Sens) headlines from the last little while:

As reported in the National Post, apparently Filip Kuba had a no-trade clause in his contract (and I guess he still does, I hope Bryan Murray doesn't want to trade him), but didn't feel it would "make any sense" to use it. The owners of Tampa Bay have really made a stir, and I don't think it's a good thing. It was well-documented that Dan Boyle wasn't happy with his exit from Tampa Bay, and now it comes about that Kuba didn't really want to leave, either, but felt he didn't have a choice--despite the fact that the club signed him to a contract offering that choice. Pretty shitty thing to do, if you ask me, and a great way to build a toxic environment between players and owners. The biggest reason he wanted to play for Tampa seemed to be the opportunity to play in front of friends and family in his native Czech Republic, but I think that novelty will fade as the Bolts fall in the standings and the Sens rise to the top (knock on wood).

It was also briefly mentioned in a Bruce Garrioch story in the Ottawa Sun that Joe Corvo is once again being shopped around, apparently due to his "baggage". It's a little weird since Corvo is a solid offensive defenceman (he's 18th in the league in points from D over the last three years), and his contract is a bargain. You've got to wonder why Carolina would be looking to move him already, after only half a season (and a pretty good half, too, with 7G and 14A [21P] in 23 games, highlighted by a three-goal night against the Senators in March).

Goaltending prospect Brian Elliott found out in the rookie squad's 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers rookie team that his knee has healed nicely, according to the Ottawa Citizen. Got to be good news for Binghamton Senators fans, and maybe he'll build some competition for our two NHL goaltenders.

I've read a few times that Ilya Zubov is really looking impressive this year. I'm not sure the sources, but he's apparently stayed in Ottawa over the summer rather than returning to Russia, training with local NHLers, including Chris Neil, and is in great shape. Although it will be tough for him to crack the NHL lineup (so many forwards... ), he's been quoted as being prepared for another year of conditioning in the AHL if necessary. Read about it in the National Post or the Slam! Sports, or the Ottawa Sun.

Craig Hartsburg confirmed how he's breaking up the CASH Line, at least for the start of training camp, to the Sun today. Apparently Jason Spezza and Dany Heatley will remain together, filled out with another winger (likely to be Jesse Winchester to start), and Daniel Alfredsson will play on the second line, likely with Mike Fisher, and Antoine Vermette's got to be up there somewhere.

Sens beat Panthers, Leafs in rookie tournament

Anyone who hasn't seen can check out highlights of the Sens' rookie camp victories on TSN.ca, 4-2 over the Florida Panthers rookies and 7-5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs rookies. (Despite finishing so much worse than Ottawa so many years, the Leafs are apparently still unable to assemble any young talent.) The Panthers highlights are up now, and I'm sure the Leafs ones will be up soon.

Against Florida, undrafted rookie tryout candidate Mick Lawrence (who?) scored two goals and an assist, while Shawn Weller added a goal and two assists and Ilya Zubov scored the Sens' other goal. Since the Senators' official press release is seriously lacking, and I can't find a stats sheet anywhere, I turned to the Ottawa Sun, who filled out a bit more scoring details: Jesse Winchester also added two assists, and Bruce Garrioch said he looked "strong". About Lawrence, he seems to have found his game at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in his final year, scoring NCAA career-highs in goals (21), assists (19), and points (it's basic math, come on; 21+19=40 points). If the highlights on TSN were typical, then Winchester, Zubov, and Lawrence were on a line together. Brian Elliott was tending nets for the Sens.

Against Toronto, all I know now is what the Sens' press release says. Forwards Winchester (2G), Zubov (1G, 1A), Alexander Nikulin (2A), and Peter Regin (2A), as well as defenceman Mattias Karlsson (1G, 1A), each had two points. The Leafs were up 2-0 at one point, but the Sens rallied and eventually took the lead. Two goals on three shots in the first period; Leafs goaltending prospect Michael Ouzas must have had a rough game. Jim O'Brien, Benoit Doucet, and Zach Smith also scored for the Senators, while Mitch O'Keefe played in goal.

The Sens' final round-robin game of the tournament is tomorrow at 2 p.m. I wish it was on TV... and that I didn't have to work so I could watch it live.

(P.S. If you're wondering what my player-name tagging technique is, I've only tagged the names of players who are on contracts with the Sens. That's why someone like Mitch O'Keefe is tagged, while Mick Lawrence isn't. Not that anyone cares at all.)

Some people think the Sens will be good this year

After reading The Score Sports Forecaster magazine's positive prediction about the Sens this year, I chronicled my own reasons for being optimistic about he upcoming season (read here: forwards, defence, and goaltending). Today Dallas News' columnist Mike Heika, on his Dallas Stars blog, predicted the Sens to win what he called a "weak" Northeast Division, too, although he did sounds a little hesitant. Here's a look at his prognistication:

"I'm not in love with the Ottawa Senators.

"They have plenty of question marks and holes in their lineup.

The problem is I'm not in love with anyone else in the Northeast, either. Montreal is a very good team, which had an exceptional finish to the end of the season, but I think also has some numbers that will be difficult to duplicate (like a 25-12-4 road record and a plus-35 on special teams). Boston is OK, Buffalo is finding out it probably spent its money on the wrong players (Hmm, a high-level center or a high-level winger?), and Toronto is a bit of a mess.

"So that leaves the Senators."

[...]

"I just think this team has something. I know Montreal is solid, and is hungry, and that you should never count out Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau, but I think Ottawa is the winner of a very weak Northest Division. Both the Senators and Canadiens are in on the Mats Sundin talks, so that could change a lot of things. But right now, I'm giving the Senators this division.

"I like new coach Craig Hartsburg, and I think he could have a positive impact on this team, so sue me."

Richardson gets a tryout

Don Brennan published a story in the Sun today stating that Luke Richardson has been invited to the Senators training camp. Got to give the 39-year-old credit, he might be in better shape than he was last year and certainly earned a look after how much he did for the team in 2007-08. The story went on to say that if he didn't make the Ottawa squad, it is unlikely that the Sens would ask him to go down to Binghamton--more likely he'd be hired to work in a coaching role. A quote from GM Bryan Murray from the Sun story:

"I don't think I want to do that with him," said Murray. "I think we want to have younger guys down there at this point. If he can't (play in Ottawa), we'll probably have something for him in the organization. He'd be around the coaches. I don't know that he'll have a title like that, but kind of an eye-in-the-sky deal."

You've got to give Richardson all sorts of credit for approaching this situation with such professionalism. Some veterans would be insulted to be invited to camp without a contract, but he's looking at it as the opportunity that it is.

As much as I like Richardson, I don't think there's a spot for him on the blue line this season. The top four positions are all but guaranteed to Chris Phillips, Anton Volchenkov, Filip Kuba, and Jason Smith, but Richardson wouldn't fit in the top-four anyway. Another year in the AHL might be good for Brian Lee's development, but I would think he would be better served playing in the NHL--especially since he did so well last year. And Murray has said he expects Alexandre Picard to be a virtual walk-on through camp, because of his potential and his one-way contract. And there's still Christoph Schubert, who's salivating at the prospect of playing a full year on defence. Oh yeah, and Brendan Bell could make a good impression. Then again, I didn't think Richardson was going to make the team last season, either, so I've been wrong about him before.

But Richardson's got a chance, at any rate. I'm glad that he'll continue in the franchise, in whatever capacity.

Winchester could be a top-six forward

An article in the Citizen today explored the possibility that Jesse Winchester, a rookie who's played one NHL game after a four-year career of ECAC hockey, will get a good, long look as a member of the Senators' top-six forward. And you know what? I think it might work.

Winchester played right wing in his one NHL game on the second line, alongside Mike Fisher and Antoine Vermette. The following day he practiced on a line with Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza. Although he was likely only in that spot because Daniel Alfredsson was taking the day for rest and relaxation, Winchester didn't look out of place on either line. Although he was a centre through his university career, I'm sure he'd play the wing if it meant time on one of the top two lines.

From what I've seen of Winchester, his speed and size make him well-suited to play with Spezza and Heatley, if the two are kept together. Another solid fit for him, in my opinion, would be with Fisher and one of Heatley or Alfredsson on the other wing. To be honest, I saw Winchester as an asset-specific acquisition: GM Bryan Murray realized that there is a certain player you need to complement Fisher, and for him--now that he's signed long-term and a certain building block of the franchise--to excel, you've got to play to your strengths.

So, unless Craig Hartsburg has a different opinion than Murray, I expect Winchester to at least get a shot beside Fisher on the second line. Man, I want the season to start.

Could Carkner crack the lineup as a winger?

According to a story by Binghamton Senators beat writer Michael Sharp of the Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin, Matt Carkner is going to be working his way in training camp as a right winger. After playing defence on teh B-Sens last year, Carkner wanted Sens brass to know that he was more than willing to switch to the wing if it meant an opportunity to play in the NHL. Here's a portion of the story:

Apparently, the Senators are receptive to the idea, and so beginning next week, the 6-foot-4, 229-pound Carkner will get a look at right wing during training camp. He's been told Ottawa officials would like him to be versatile -- be it up as a forward or back on the blue line -- and if he's returned to Binghamton, he'll remain a defenseman.

"We've come to an agreement that his best chance to make the NHL team is as a forward -- a right winger," Senators assistant general manager Tim Murray said. "Bring some toughness, and character, and a great influence in the dressing room. And he is still a defenseman at the (American Hockey League) level, so he's going to have to make that adjustment when he gets called up."

Considering the current overflow of third- and fourth-line forwards the Senators are currently sporting, this is an interesting decision. Carkner, however, may be the best heavyweight in the Senators' system now that Brian McGrattan has been traded, so he might be viewed as a possible recall if the Sens run into some fight-filled rivalries. Or maybe that trade that Bryan Murray is inevitably choreographing to move some of our one-way NHL contracts will clear some room for Carkner. Time will tell.

Those pesky Leafs bloggers

The number of times the Sens have beaten the Leafs in their four playoff matchups.

Also... number of Stanley Cups in 40 years....? Leafers? Anyone?

What to do with Alfredsson, Spezza, and Heatley

Sportsnet's Ian Mendes published a story on Monday about the CASH Line, and how--although Craig Hartsburg hasn't said what he'll be doing--both Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza expect that their line, usually filled out with Dany Heatley, will be split up to start the season.

The reasoning is obvious: By spreading out the most potent offensive threats into two lines, the Senators become a more difficult team to play against because their stars can't be easily targeted. It's difficult for any team to shut down the CASH Line completely, and I'd say the only team to really do so effectively were the 2007 Anaheim Ducks. Still, the fact remains that much of the Sens' scoring prowess has been heavily concentrated in that top line, and if falls off pretty quickly.

The Sens do have other offensive weapons. Antoine Vermette is a solid offensive player with tremendous defensive awareness, and his point totals have consistently climped to a career-high 53 points (24G, 29A) in 81 games last year. He should get plenty of second-line time this year to set a new career-high. After seeing his numbers fall off a bit last season, more will be expected from Mike Fisher, and he likely expects more from himself. Finally, many people are saying Nick Foligno has the abilities to be a point-producer in the NHL, so he should get the chance this season with a full year in the NHL.

Assuming the CASH Line is to be split up, there are four possibilites (and be sure to vote for your choice in the poll that is in the left info bar):

1. Keep Spezza and Heatley together
2. Keep Spezza and Alfie together
3. Keep Alfie and Heatley together
4. Spread them onto three different lines

I don't think the fourth option is really going to be tried, so I'll cross that off the list right now. That leaves three more possibilities.

Spezza and Heatley have obvious chemistry, and their point totals prove that. They play off each other's abilities, with Spezza setting up Heatley once he's gotten himself into a shooting position, and Heatley letting one of his one-timers rip. One problem with this is that Heatley changes his game when he plays with Spezza (and he has admitted as much, if I recall correctly), concentrating more on getting open and less on a puck-possession game that could make him more effective defensively. It also leaves Alfredsson as the offensive fulcrum of the other line, subjecting his 35-year-old body to the physical punishments of that role. It's not a point that is dealt with often, but Alfredsson's health has to be an issue of concern as he gets into the twilight of his career.

Secondly would be keeping Spezza with Alfredsson. This maintains the two puck-possession experts from the current CASH Line, and they would be filled out by a winger who would have to be able to turn pucks over and finish plays. It would allow the two to excercise some of their chemistry, and may allow Alfredsson to score more goals by setting up for passes from Spezza. Finding a suitable left-winger for this line would be difficult, though; Vermette is not suited to what would be asked of him, and Jarkko Ruutu is probably not skilled enough offensively to make it work.

The final option would be my preference, and I would try it were I given the head coaching job with the Senators. Alfredsson and Heatley have some chemistry, even if they may not be the soulmates that Spezza and Heatley apparently are. When Heatley is playing his hard, possessional, forechecking game--the one that made him so effective with Rick Nash and Ryan Getzlaf in this summer's world championships--his performance is at its finest. Alfredsson wouldn't be the premiere skilled player on the line, so he'd be comfortable in not being overly targeted by defencemen. And the centreman could be Vermette, if you're looking for an offensive player with defensive abilities, or even Chris Kelly, if you're looking for a defensive player with offensive abilities.

However it happens, the individual players may not do as well offensively than they would as members of the CASH Line. I do believe that they are more than simply the sum of their parts. For the greater good of spreading the offensive production and adding more defensive responsibility, though, splitting up the CASH Line could very well help the Senators' bottom line.